Testing & Security skills

Interprets the postural stimulation test to detect angiotensin II‑unresponsive aldosterone‑producing adenoma (APA) or familial hyperaldosteronism type I (FH‑I) when aldosterone fails to rise with upright posture. Triggered by clinical cues such as “postural stimulation test shows no aldosterone increase”, “suspected APA with non‑responsive aldosterone”, or “evaluating FH‑I in young patients with early‑onset hypertension and hypokalemia”.

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The Endocrine Society recommends a standard-dose corticotropin (ACTH) stimulation test to confirm primary adrenal insufficiency when clinical suspicion arises from symptoms such as hypotension, hyponatremia, hyperkalemia, or unexplained fatigue. Dosing is weight/age based: 250 µg for adults and children ≥2 years, 15 µg/kg for infants, and 125 µg for children <2 years.

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Selects the aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) method over hypokalemia for screening hypertensive patients for primary aldosteronism. Use when a clinician asks what test to use for screening hypertensive patients with resistant hypertension or unexplained hypokalemia for PA.

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Recommends initiating glucocorticoid therapy in all patients with confirmed primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI). Use when PAI diagnosis is confirmed by subnormal cortisol response to ACTH stimulation test or elevated ACTH with low cortisol.

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Recommends confirmatory testing with corticotropin stimulation test in patients presenting with clinical symptoms or signs suggesting PAI (e.g., fatigue, hypotension, hyponatremia, hyperpigmentation) when the patient's condition permits safe testing. Use when a clinician identifies suggestive features and circumstances allow outpatient stimulation testing without imminent need for emergency glucocorticoids.

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Determines when to avoid aldosterone suppression testing in hypertensive patients with a positive PA screen who have normokalemia and suppressed aldosterone below assay‑specific cutoffs (<11 ng/dL immunoassay or <8 ng/dL LC‑MS/MS), indicating low likelihood of primary aldosteronism. Use when a clinician asks whether to skip confirmatory suppression testing based on low pretest probability.

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Suggests using a low-dose (1 µg) corticotropin stimulation test to diagnose primary adrenal insufficiency when the standard 250 µg corticotropin is unavailable due to drug shortage. Consider this approach when clinicians encounter a corticotropin shortage or when the standard dose cannot be obtained.

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Suggests using morning cortisol ≤140 nmol/L (5 µg/dL) in combination with ACTH as a preliminary test suggestive of primary adrenal insufficiency when a corticotropin stimulation test is not feasible. Use when patients present with indicative symptoms such as hypotension, hyponatremia, hyperkalemia, or fatigue and corticotropin stimulation testing cannot be performed.

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This skill interprets the oral sodium loading test for primary aldosteronism by evaluating 24‑hour urinary aldosterone excretion after a high‑sodium diet. Use when reviewing results of an "oral sodium loading test" for PA diagnosis; trigger phrases include "urinary aldosterone excretion ≤10 g/24 h" (PA unlikely) or "≥12 g/24 h (Mayo) / ≥14 g/24 h (Cleveland)" (PA highly likely).

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Interprets the saline infusion test (SIT) to assess the probability of primary aldosteronism when a patient has a positive aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) and requires confirmatory testing. Triggers include evaluating post‑infusion plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) after a positive ARR, hypertension work‑up, or when deciding whether to proceed to adrenal venous sampling (AVS).

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Evaluates likelihood of primary aldosteronism by measuring plasma aldosterone suppression after oral captopril; normal suppression ≥30% makes PA unlikely, while lack of suppression with persistently suppressed plasma renin activity suggests PA. Use when assessing captopril challenge test (CCT) results for PA diagnosis in patients with positive aldosterone-to-renin ratio.

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Differentiates aldosterone-producing adenoma from idiopathic adrenal hyperplasia based on 18-hydroxycorticosterone levels, with APA patients generally having levels >100 ng/dL at 8:00 a.m. and IAH patients usually having levels <100 ng/dL. Use when reviewing 18-OHB test results to help subtype PA; triggers include 18-OHB >100 ng/dL (suggesting APA) or <100 ng/dL (suggesting IAH).

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Recommends performing a dexamethasone suppression test to evaluate for autonomous cortisol secretion in patients with primary aldosteronism and adrenal adenoma. Triggered when a clinician considers whether to perform a dexamethasone suppression test in a patient with PA and adrenal adenoma.

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Recommends correcting serum potassium to the laboratory reference range and repeating aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) screening when the initial screen is negative in a hypertensive patient with hypokalemia. Use when a clinician encounters a negative PA screen in a hypertensive patient with hypokalemia and wonders whether to repeat testing after potassium repletion.

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Recommends diagnostic testing to exclude primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) in acutely ill patients presenting with otherwise unexplained volume depletion, hypotension, hyponatremia, hyperkalemia, fever, abdominal pain, hyperpigmentation, or hypoglycemia (especially in children). Use when clinical suspicion arises from these suggestive signs or symptoms suggestive of PAI.

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Recommends immediate IV hydrocortisone stress dosing for patients with suspected adrenal crisis presenting with severe adrenal insufficiency symptoms such as hypotension, hyponatremia, hyperkalemia, or acute abdominal pain. Use when clinician observes signs of adrenal crisis (e.g., syncope, delirium, marked abdominal tenderness) prior to diagnostic test results.

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Determines if primary aldosteronism is confirmed based on upright plasma aldosterone ≤6 ng/dL (170 nmol/L) on day 4 at 10 AM of fludrocortisone suppression test, provided plasma renin activity ≥1 ng/mL/h and plasma cortisol concentration lower than the 7 AM value to exclude ACTH confounding. Use when reviewing FST results to diagnose PA; triggers include "FST", "upright aldosterone ≤6 ng/dL", "PRA ≥1 ng/mL/h", and "cortisol drop".

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Performs corticotropin stimulation test to diagnose adrenal insufficiency when morning cortisol is indeterminate (3-15 µg/dL). Triggers include morning cortisol 3-15 µg/dL requiring further AI testing.

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Recommends performing biochemical testing for HPA axis at least 18-24 hours after last hydrocortisone dose or longer for synthetic glucocorticoids. Use when scheduling HPA axis testing in glucocorticoid-treated patient needing assessment of adrenal reserve.

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Recommends administering stress-dose glucocorticoids before surgery and tapering after surgery in patients with adrenal insufficiency before repeat testing. Triggers include preoperative planning for surgery in a patient with known or suspected adrenal insufficiency.

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Look up NHS England genomic tests for rare and inherited diseases. Use this skill whenever a clinician asks what genetic test to order for a condition, which genes are covered for a specific diagnosis, what commissioning category a genomic test falls under (Core, Specialised, or Highly Specialised), or which tests belong to a specialty group (Neurology, Cardiology, Endocrinology, etc.). Also trigger for questions like what panel is used for a condition, whether there is an NHS test for something, what the R number is for a condition, or whether anything has changed in the genomic test directory. Source: NHS England National Genomic Test Directory for Rare and Inherited Disease v9.0 (April 2026).

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Recommends against using a random cortisol level to diagnose adrenal insufficiency. Triggers when considering a random cortisol test for AI evaluation (e.g., "random cortisol measurement being considered for AI diagnosis").

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Diagnose monogenic and syndromic obesity in children and adolescents using a structured step-by-step algorithm. Use this skill whenever a clinician suspects a genetic cause of obesity, asks about leptin deficiency, MC4R mutation, POMC deficiency, PCSK1 deficiency, leptin receptor deficiency, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Alström syndrome, or any case of early-onset severe obesity with hyperphagia. Also trigger for questions about targeted pharmacotherapy including setmelanotide or metreleptin, or when to order a genomic obesity panel. Cross-references the NHS Genomic Test Finder skill to surface the relevant R-code once a diagnosis is reached.

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Recommends measuring serum cortisol levels at 8–9 AM as the first-line test for diagnosing central adrenal insufficiency. Use when starting diagnostic workup for suspected adrenal insufficiency; triggers include suspected adrenal insufficiency requiring initial cortisol testing.

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